My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream (The Good Life France)

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With sneak peeks into the Mexican themed party, complete with castle owner and hostess dressed as a cactus, the elderly sexy barmaid and the vet who, in disbelieve, cares for the stray cats and dogs Janine collects, you will want to pack up sticks and move to France yourself. Since giving up their city jobs in London and moving to rural France over ten years ago, Janine and husband Mark have renovated their dream home and built a new life for themselves, adjusting to the delights and the peculiarities of life in a small French village. Easily drawn into Marsh's entertaining narrative by her sharp observations and warm-hearted nature, we get to know her neighbours, the local traditions and her growing family of dogs, cats, and assorted feathered friends. Le Bonaparte brasserie glows with red warmth in the fall and winter and is a great place to eat right in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près. The people are friendly and the surrounding towns and villages have great character, plus all sorts of unique traditions.

What strategies do you suggest for getting used to the increased “together time” in a strange land and with a new language?But this split life proved unsatisfactory and eventually the big question had to be faced: do we move to France? Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. So, it’s great to read an account of someone who saw the experience less of a triumph over adversity, and more of a blending with the local landscape, its culture, its traditions, and its people. No, the routine is not repetitive, it’s delicious) Growing your vegetables directly on the land and eating them fresh, after picking them. Instead we took in a stray cat and then another and another until we had 6 cats and 3 dogs, which sort of curtails your ability to ride off at will.

I think what shines through is that she is one of those rare people who can entirely uproot a life, leave behind the corporate dream and still make a tremendous success professionally as well as in creating a peaceful lifestyle. Marsh, who had worked for years to rise from secretary to bank vice president - with another promotion imminent - agonized over the decision. My husband I lived in Brittany, but I’m now stuck with the job of closing down legal and financial ties there.This is the true story of her rollercoaster ride, in many ways a love story, with her sharp observations on the very different way of life, culture, and etiquette of France. It’s a light read about the various adventures that Janine and Mark have in France, from being nicknamed Madame Merde to having to try escargot cake to how she adopted all her animals. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).

I do find the people in those areas to be amazingly helpful and not the same hostile kind of whom others speak. La Picholine is a completely renovated barn with 2 ensuite bedrooms in the centre of the quiet village of Mollégès in the Alpilles. Janine has a very readable style and reading this felt as though I was catching up with a friend’s about what had been going on in their life. She begins to enjoy “The Good Life” in France as she gets to know people in her community and adjusts to the culture. Author Janine Marsh and her husband Mark have quite the culture shocks, not just from moving from the UK to France, but from moving from a very urban lifestyle to a very rural one.Despite the best efforts of my neighbours to teach me (oh the horrified expression when I confess to being useless in the kitchen) I’m still at the basic stage. Sure, there will be red tape and difficulties and builders who don’t understand the concept of keeping appointments. We have to go back in time to the beginning of her story, she is known as the Iron Lady, la Dame de Fer in French, to find out why this towering icon is even there in the first place! Here in the countryside, people may not be wealthy or live in swish posh houses, but in so many ways the good life is all around if you take the time to find it. There are lots of tears and laughter along the way and quite a menagerie of dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, and geese were collected.